Fastening device for closures



H. H. HARRINGTON.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR CLOSURES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24. 1919.

1,357, 64 Patented No v. 2, 1920.

attop W O of the following description.

UNITED sTA'rss HENRY H, HARRINGTON, OF GALION, OHIO.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR CLOSURES.

Application filed November 24, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HnNRr H. HARRING- roN a citizen of the United States, residing at (ialion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastening Devices for Closures; and I do declare the following to be a full. clear. and exact de scription of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for fastening closures over openings in casings, and it has more particular reference to devices for fastening closures in position on burial vaults.

The principal object of the invention is to provide fastening devices for the above mentioned purpose which are constructed of ordinary bolts, nuts, and castings, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture of such fastening devices.

Another-object of the invention is to provide novel fastening devices of the above mentioned character which have means in corporated therewith which enable the operator to accurately determine whether or not the locking members are in effective or released position, even though such locking members are not visible to the operator. Other objects and advantages of the invention may become apparent during the course In the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,-

Figure 1 is an end view of a burial vault embodying the improvements of my inven tion.

.Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the burial vault,- looking from the closed end,

illustrating my locking devices in applied and released positions.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the plane of the line 88.of Fig. 2, illustrating one of the locking members in applied position.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the, plane of the line 4.4 of Fig. 2, showing the locking member in released position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the locking members constructed inaccordance' with my invention.

Fig. 6 is a view like Fig. 5 showing another sideof the locking member; I

In the drawings, wherein forthe purpose Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 340,192.

of illustration is shown preferred embodi 'the vault is closed by the usual closure.

which in this instance is in the form of a closing plate 3 which abuts the flange 2. and when it is locked in" position it forms a substantially air tight and water proof vault. lVhile the description, so far as it has gone. refers to a burial vault, I desire it to be understood that my locking members are also equally well adapted to be used in connection with any type of a casing having an opening therein which is closed by means of closure or closing plate However, in order to enable the reader to acquire a thorough wider-standing of the device, the following description will associate my locking members with a burial vault. These locking devices as will be hereinafterspecifireally described are to be positioned about the marginal portion of the closing plate 3 so as to permit them to co-act with the flange 2 and retain the plate 3 in position.

As shown, the closing plate i.) is provided on its inner face with a plurality of locking members 4: which are rotatably mounted thereon. Each locking member is preferably made from a single casting and includes a nose 5 which is adapted to engage the flange 2. In order to enable this nose 5 to readily ride. over the edge of the flange 2 and come into eifective engagement it will be seen that the outer face thereof is tapered as shown at 6. By tapering the face of the nose 5 in the manner shown it will be seen that the device will. not only be permitted to readily move to applied position. but itwill also effect a cam action, and tend to pull the plate 3 tightly against the flange 2, or

against the flexible packing member 2*, which is sometimes placed between the plate 3 and the flange 2. Locking member 4 is provided with a flange 7 which is disposed transversely to the nose 5, and the outer edge thereof is curved in a line approximately concentric with the axis of rotation, and this flange carries apair of spaced laterally extending lugs 8 and 9, the'pn'rpose ofwhich will hereinafter be set forth. The numeral 10 designates a hub which has a socket 11 formed in its inner face, the walls of which are noncircular as shown, to permit a nut 12 to be is threadedly engaged with the nut 12, be-

ing provided on its free end with a stop 15. This stop 15 may be of any sultable constructlon, but I have shown it as being 11'].

V the form of a nut which is bent by means of a hammer or the like, to cause its threads to bite into the threads on the bolt 14 and thereby become locked in position on the bolt. However, as before stated, the exact construction of this stop is not essential and any suitable means may be employed for the purpose.

(last integral with, or otherwise properly secured to the plate 3, are a plurality of combined stop and guide members 16, which as shown, are disposed in close proximity to the locking members a. Each of these members 16 is in the form of a catch and a portion thereof extends over the flange '7 and serves as a guide. Inasmuch as each of these members 16 is positioned between the spaced lugs 8 and 9 on the flange it will be seen that when the locking members are rotated either to effective or ineffective position, one of the lugs will engage the member 16 and limit the turning movement of the locking members 4. As the members 16 are made of metal and as the lugs 8 and 9 are also of metal it will be seen that when one of the lugs comes into engagement with the members 16, a clicking noise will be transmitted to the operator, and in this manner he may accurately determine whether or not the locking members are in eifective or ineffective position.

In order to move the locking members to locking position it is obvious that this may be done by applying a wrench to the head of the bolt 14. To describe this more thoroughly we will assume, for example, that a locking member is in the position shown in Fig. 1, in which position it is released. In this position it will be noted that the stop '15 and the nut 12 are in tight contact with each other and the lug 8 is in engagement with the-member 16. By turning the head of the bolt '14: from the'left to the right it will be seen that the locking member 4: and the part associated therewith will be rotated until the lug 9 engages the member 16. By further rotation of thebolt in the same rounds the bolt 14..

direction, the stop 15 will move away from the nut 12 and the parts will assume the posit-ion shown in Fig. 3. As soon as the lug 9 strikes the member 16 a clicking noise will occur which may be heard by the operator, and when this notice occurs the operator may know that the parts have moved from ineffective position to effective position, so, it will be seen that even though the locking members are not'visibie to the operator, he may accurately determine when they are in eifective position, and when they are in ineffective position. On the other hand, when it is desired to release the locking members the bolt 1 1 will be turned in the oppositedi- 'rection until the sto 15 en a es the nut 12 and by further rotation of the bolt, the looking member 4: will be rotated in the reverse direction until the lug 8 strikes the member 16 and the looking member l will then be in ineffective position.

In order to prevent undue rattling of the parts of the device, I employ coil spring 17 which as shown is interposed between the locking member 4 and the plate 3 and sur- Not only does this spring serve to prevent rattling but it also insures that the locking member 4 will at all times be in eflective engagementwith the nut 12 so that the nut 12 will be prevented against rotation around the bolt 14 at all times. Spring 1'? also serves to disengage the nose 5 of the locking member from the flange 2 when the bolt 1 is turnedin a direction to release the locking member, thus permitting easy working of the'parts.

The operation and manner of assembling the parts is thought to be obvious from the foregoing description and drawing, therefore, further description is deemed unnecessary. While I have described my locking device as being used in connection with burial vaults, I desire it to be understood that it is equally well adapted to'be used in connection with closures of variouscother types. I

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein'shown and described is to be taken as a preferred form ofthe. same and that various minor changes in the ing memberrotatably mounted on the inner face of said plate, stops carried by said plate, saidstops being disposed in" close proximity to the locking member, the latter having a nose to engage a portion of the casing around the opening, and being provided with spaced lugs to engage said'stops and limit the turning of the locking member in either of two positions, a bolt extending through the opening in the plate and aperture in the member, an abutment on the free end of said bolt, and a nut also on the bolt between the abutment and member, said nut and abutment being adapted to bind against each other and cause rotation of the member when the bolt is rotated, said lugs and stops causing such binding of the nut and abutment when the lugs engage the stops.

2. The combination with a casing having an opening therein; of an apertured plate for closing the opening, a plurality of looking members rotatably mounted on the inner face of the plate, each locking member including a nose engageable with a portion of the casing around the opening, a socket in its inner face and a hole opening through the socket and its outer face; a nut nonrotatably seated in said socket, a bolt passing through (an aperture in the closing plate, hole in the locking member, and threaded through the nut, and a stop on the free end of the bolt.

3. The combination with a casing having an opening therein; of a plate closing said opening, a plurality of locking members rotatably mounted on the inner face of the plate, each locking member including a nose to engage a portion of the casing, around the opening, a flange disposed transversely to said nose, the outer edge of which is curved on a line approximately concentric with the axis of rotation, a hub having a poly-sided socket in its inner face, and a hole opening through the outer face and into the socket; a nut non-rotatably seated in the socket, a bolt extending through an opening in the closing plate, through the hole in the locking member, and having screw-threaded engagement with the nut; and an abutment on the free end of the bolt; the aforesaid flange being provided with spaced laterally extending lugs, and a plurality of combined stop and guide members carried by the closing plate and disposed in close proximity to the locking members and having portions extending over the outer curved edge of the flange between the lugs, to limit turning movement of the locking members when applied or released.

4. As an article of manufacture, a locking member formed from a casting which includes a nose to engage a portion of a casing around an opening, a flange disposed transversely to said nose, the outer edge of which is curved on a line approximately concentric with the axis of rotation, a hub having a poly-sided socket formed therein adapted to receive a nut, and a bore extending from the bottom of the socket through the outer face of the casting, the aforesaid transverse flange being provided with spaced laterally extending lugs adapted for engagement with stops.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY H. HARRINGTON. 

